An efficient and regioselective route for the first total synthesis of the antiinflammatory marine natural product (–)-herdmanine D, with an excellent overall yield of 18%, is described. A key feature of the synthetic strategy is a Steglich esterification of regioselectively constructed 6-bromo-5-methoxy-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid with protected l-tyrosine. The formation of the l-isomer was confirmed through measurement of the optical activity. The current strategy paves the way for the construction of diverse analogues of (–)-herdmanine D for drug development.
Key words
herdmanine D - regioselectivity - total synthesis - indoles - pharmaceutical chemistry